APPLETON, Wis.— Alex Wepner has always known his future is in raising cattle.

The fourth generation Wisconsin farmer’s family manages a collection of 900 dairy cows, steers, and calves in Manawa. He hopes to run the operation one day and believes his college education will help.

“With the knowledge that I learn here… and having access to these different things, I’m able to go back to the farm and say, ‘Maybe we need to do this or practice this more,’” Wepner said.

He is gaining that knowledge at Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton. He’s a student in the farm operations program. School leaders said enrollment has remained on a steady course since 2019.

“We’re always looking to add to the student population for the [agricultural] industry,” said department chair Sarah Mills-Lloyd. 

The Wisconsin Technical College System’s latest graduate outcome report showed nearly 500 students graduated from its agriculture programs in 2020. Fewer than 300 entered the workforce. Couple that with the Wisconsin job center reporting more than 1,000 job openings on Wisconsin farms and it’s clear schools will have to produce more farm employees. 

“The sector of agriculture has not been unaffected through this great resignation,” Mills-Lloyd said. “We are needing people to be in that service profession and within the agriculture sector.”

She said tech schools are increasing recruitment efforts by meeting with students at area junior highs and high schools. FVTC invites students to events where they can see technologies and classes the school offers for agriculture.

Wepner said it’s the tech gear and facilities that drew him to FVTC. He said he’s grown at FVTC and can’t wait to put what he’s learned to good use while serving as hope for dairy’s future in Wisconsin.

“The family is pretty happy,” said Wepner. “I think they’re proud of me for going to school and learning new things and actually bringing something back.”